[mwhite49]

I think that I have what seems to be a Swiss Target pistol with a Martini type action. It uses a side lver to lower and raise the breech block, nicely engraved with an octagon barrel. ANY ideas on what the country of origin may be?
Thanks
Mike
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[TFoley]

I think that I have what seems to be a Swiss Target pistol with a Martini type action. It uses a side lver to lower and raise the breech block, nicely engraved with an octagon barrel. ANY ideas on what the country of origin may be?
Thanks
Mike
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To me it looks identical to my pre-WW2 Haemmerli Free pistol, made in Lenzburg, Switzerland. It is intended for use in the 50m Free Pistol Olympic slow-fire competition. It is called 'Free' because the usual ISSF/UIT pistol rules do not apply to this arm - the barrel can be up to 10.5inches long and the trigger can be set as low as 1 gramme - the grip, as you see, can almost, but not quite - enclose the whole hand.

Have you bought it?

If so, under NO circumstances attempt to dry fire this piece without an empty case or snap-cap in the breech. This was done to mine without my knowledge on the range one afternoon, and it broke the striker. The repair cost me almost $500, twenty years ago, by Haemmerli in Switzerland.

tac

 

[mwhite49]

swiss pistol

Yes, I did buy it, and since it was at an auction I'm almost certain it has been dry fired, but I have a real good gunsmith that is reasonable if needed. Is yours marked at all as to the maker? Mine is not
Mike

 

[TFoley]

Yes, I did buy it, and since it was at an auction I'm almost certain it has been dry fired, but I have a real good gunsmith that is reasonable if needed. Is yours marked at all as to the maker? Mine is not Mike

Sorry, I live mostly in UK, so mine was destroyed along with over hundred others over ten years ago, but I remember that it was stamped 'Hammerli - Lenzburg - Schweiz', and shot very well, even with me shooting. It earned me over 200 medals in the time I had it, shooting Ely 'Tenex' rifle ammunition.

Get to know your gunsmith well, you'll be going to see him every time you dry-fire it. On mine, the trigger guard was pushed forward to lower the breech block - the lever on the side was used to set the seven-lever trigger.

tac

 

[lee2]

I think that I have what seems to be a Swiss Target pistol with a Martini type action. It uses a side lver to lower and raise the breech block, nicely engraved with an octagon barrel. ANY ideas on what the country of origin may be?
Thanks
Mike
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i was at that auction today!
crowded,wasnt it.

 

[mwhite49]

Swiss pistol

I wish I could have been there. Roy told me about 500 folks so that was a good one. No, I'm still in Texas working on our companies hurricane project for now. I did it all by phone. Thanks to that modern invention I have two nice purchases from this auction. Boy, prices were all over the place too. Items that I thought would be high sold low, some ridicuasly so and others were way high.
Mike